The present embodiments relate to a modular frame integrated into an appliance, and particularly, but not limited to, for a gas and/or electric oven appliance.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical oven front frame structure 1 requires individualized tooling for a specific model creating a full single piece structure. Each full single piece front frame structure 1 defines the full cavity opening 2 of the cooking compartment 3 for a specific model, for example having a particular height and width. If a different cavity opening size is required, another entire die set would be created to the appropriate dimensions. As a result, the tooling die set is preset for a particular configuration and may not, for example, be adjusted subsequently to one or more different applications or configurations. This practice reduces the speed of delivering model changes to the market, does not readily accommodate variations, requires a large investment for tooling, increases material waste, and increases retooling costs. Thus, there is a need to streamline manufacture while reducing cost, material waste, and production time.